Tag Archives: linen

New colors from Shibui.

Posted by on

We’re delighted to have three new colors from Shibui! Pacific, Lotus, and Majesty are now available in Cima, Koan, and Silk Cloud.

“Elate,” by Britt-Marie Brehmer, knit with Shibui Cima and Koan in Lotus.

 

As we looked through Shibui’s Spring 2021 pattern collection, Anne and I were particularly taken with “Elate,” by Britt-Marie Brehmer.

Twisted ribbing and slipped stitches give this simple tee textural interest, and the yarn combination is an intriguing blend of plant and animal fibers – Cima and Koan held together throughout.

Shibui Cima:

  • lace weight
  • 70% baby alpaca, 30% merino wool
  • 328 yards/50 g
  • $16.50 each

Shibui Koan:

  • light fingering weight
  • 70% linen, 30% silk
  • 248 yards/50 g
  • $21 each

Lace weight Cima brings softness and elasticity in the form of merino and alpaca, while light fingering weight Koan lends coolness and drape with its linen and silk content.

Pick matching shades in Cima and Koan for a solid look, or similar shades for a subtle marl.

Pick your favorite color combination and order online for local pickup or shipping!

“Elate,” by Britt-Marie Brehmer, knit with Shibui Cima and Koan in Lotus.

New colors in Kelbourne Woolens Mojave.

Posted by on

Last week brought five new colors in Kelbourne Woolens Mojave!

Mojave is a sport weight blend of 60% cotton and 40% linen, with 185 yards on each 50 gram skein. It’s composed of five tiny 2ply yarns twisted together, for a yarn that’s smooth and soft but also strong, with the beautiful drape we expect from plant fiber yarns.

Mojave is perfect for warm weather stitching – here are some ideas for knitters and crocheters!

Knit with Mojave:

Crochet with Mojave:

Order online for local pickup or USPS Priority Mail Shipping – do so during July for 15% off!

Just a reminder–all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges or returns. Thanks!

Amirisu, Issue 20.

Posted by on

A new issue of Amirisu is here!

Amirisu is a knitting magazine based in Japan, each issue filled with articles, interviews, and patterns from designers all over the world.

This is Amirisu’s 20th issue since starting the magazine in 2012, an accomplishment that founders Tokuko and Meri discuss in an interview.

This issue features designs by Paula Pereira, Alice Caetano, Justyna Lorkowska, and more.

I spotted a couple of familiar names in a feature on linen blends for summer – Shibui Twig and Isager Merilin, both of which are available here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop.

Another Isager yarn shows up in this issue – Tvinni, a light fingering weight wool from Denmark.

Issue 20 of Amirisu is $24 – order online and we’ll ship it to you or you can come by to pick it up!

Hello, Shibui Koan.

Posted by on

We’ve just unpacked the latest yarn from Shibui – meet Koan!

Shibui Koan is a fingering weight blend of 70% linen and 30% mulberry silk, with 248 yards on each 50 gram skein. These fibers are known for drape and sheen, qualities that define Koan.

Shibui is known for their penchant for combining yarns two or three strands at a time, a way of creating unique fiber blends. Because of this, most of their colors are available across most of their yarns, and all but two of the Koan colors are familiar favorites.

Crete and Paloma are brand new colors for Shibui, bright pops of aqua and pink that electrify the whole color palette.

What to make with Koan? A new pattern collection is coming soon to answer that question, but until then, look to the Shibui archives. Koan is a great substitute for Reed, so the “Athens” tank and “Octave” wrap would look great in this new yarn. From independent designers, I spotted the “Westbound” tee, “Albers Shawl,” and “Natsu Cardigan” in Reed – substitute Koan for a little extra shine.

Look for Shibui Koan in the fingering weight section here at our shop, and check out our other Shibui yarns while you’re here – we have them all, from lace to worsted weight!

New colors in Shibui Twig.

Posted by on

Shibui recently expanded their color palette for Twig, a unique yarn that has become a staple of our sport weight section.

Twig is a slightly textured, sometimes tweedy blend of 46% linen, 42% recycled silk, and 12% wool. Each 50 gram skein has 190 yards, and it knits up at a sport or dk weight gauge into an open, draping fabric.

Twig has a crisp feel and a plant fiber’s tendency to stretch rather than cling, qualities that make it ideal for warm weather garments and accessories like Shibui’s “Slope” and “Tier,” or Churchmouse’s “Simple Tee.” If you like a little more elasticity, consider holding Twig together with Cima, Lunar, or Pebble, as in Shibui’s “Apex” and “Crete,” or Julie Hoover’s “Wintour.”

Look for Shibui Twig in the sport weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop – we hope you find inspiration here!

Hello, Kelbourne Woolens Mojave.

Posted by on

The women of Kelbourne Woolens are on a roll – meet Mojave, their third line of yarn this year!

Mojave is a sport weight blend of 60% cotton and 40% linen, with 185 yards on each 50 gram skein. It’s composed of five tiny 2ply yarns twisted together, for a yarn that’s smooth and soft but also strong, with the beautiful drape we expect from plant fiber yarns.

The color palette is Kelbourne Woolens’ biggest yet, 15 shades from subtle neutrals to blazing brights.

Meghan Kelly has designed six summer tops for Mojave using a variety of textures and techniques. Kelbourne Woolens has made their patterns available through Ravelry rather than in print, an effort to diminish the company’s paper usage.

We happen to have the Mojave Collection on display here at the shop as a Trunk Show until July 15 – hurry in to see it for yourself!

Look for Mojave in our sport weight section here at the shop, and keep it in mind for summer stitching. See you there!

Kelbourne Woolens Mojave Collection Trunk Show!

Posted by on

Another trunk show has come to decorate our walls for a couple of weeks. Hurry in before July 15th to see the Kelbourne Woolens Mojave Collection!

The Mojave Collection is composed of six garments knit with Kelbourne Woolens’ newest yarn, Mojave. This cotton/linen blend landed in our sport weight section here at the shop less than a week ago, and so hasn’t had a proper introduction here on the blog – I’ll remedy that in the next couple of days.

Every piece was designed by Meghan Kelly of Kelbourne Woolens, whose love of plant fibers and bright colors are obvious in this collection.

Read more about the development of Mojave and the Mojave Collection in this interview with Meghan on the KW blog!

Look for the patterns on Ravelry, the yarn in our sport weight section, and the trunk show on our walls here at the shop until July 15th. Remember, July is our Annual Inventory Sale month, so everything in stock is 15% off – see you there!

Just a reminder–all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges, returns, or special orders. Thanks!

Hello, Shibui Reed.

Posted by on

Today was the first day of Spring, though dropping temperatures and a prediction of snow had us doubtful. Still and all, warm weather is coming, and that means new plant fiber yarns are popping up at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. Last week, I introduced Shibui Fern, an organic cotton – today, let’s meet Shibui Reed!

Reed is a replacement for (and improvement upon) Shibui’s now-discontinued Linen. The gauge, yardage, fiber content, and structure are all the same: both yarns are fingering weight, chain-plied linen, with 246 yards per 50 gram skein.

The difference is that Reed is softer and more consistent than the Linen that came before, a refinement that came with switching mills.

Reed is ideal for any pattern that calls for Linen – “L.1” and “Otherside” are popular examples – but consider it whenever fingering weight yarns are used and drape is desired. Looking on Ravelry, I saw plenty of “Hitofude” cardigans in Linen or Reed; what a nice warm-weather layer that would make.

Look for Reed in our Fingering weight section here at the shop!

New from Shibui.

Posted by on

We just got a huge order from Shibui, full of new yarns, patterns and colors!

Their newest yarn is Fern, a sport weight organic cotton, which comes in a wearable range of neutrals with a few pops of color.

New to us is Reed, a replacement for (and improvement upon) their now-discontinued Linen. Reed is a fingering weight, chain-plied linen, softer and more consistent than the Linen that came before.

Their Spring/Summer 2018 pattern collection is here, too, with the usual simple yet sophisticated fare we’ve come to expect from Shibui.

All that and three gorgeous new colors in nearly every Shibui yarn… It’s just too much for one blog post – stay tuned for a closer look at all of the above, or come by the shop to see it for yourself!

 

Hello, Isager Bomulin.

Posted by on

February has just begun, but new Spring yarns are already beginning to arrive here at the shop. Two have come from Isager, in Denmark – let’s begin with Bomulin.

Bomulin is a light fingering weight blend of 65% cotton and 35% linen, with 231 yards per 50 gram ball.

Plant fibers like these have little elasticity and a lot of drape, making them perfect for spring shawls and scarves, or loose-fitting warm-weather garments.

Anne is knitting a tank with two strands of Bomulin held together, Marianne Isager’s “Braided Top.” The construction on this piece is unexpected, and worth a closer look; come by to see Anne’s work in progress and she’ll tell you all about it.

Look for pattern ideas on our Fingering weight Pinterest board, and come by the shop to browse new Isager patterns for Bomulin. See you at the shop!